Autumn is the season when probably the most people visit the woodlands. Whether it’s to hike, view fall foliage, photograph or hunt, it is usually the most pleasant time to be there. The temperatures are comfortable, there’s low humidity and no biting insects.
But for some people, being in the deeper portions of the bigger woods spawns a certain degree of discomfort, be it fear of becoming lost or, more often for some, of encountering a wild animal. Much like the “lions and tigers and bears … oh my!” segment in the “Wizard of Oz,” the mind may wonder what creatures may be lurking nearby in those dark forest shadows? And more importantly, do they represent any danger to me?
Like many sportsmen and outdoors people, I’ve spent a good portion of my life wandering the woods, both in daylight and, when hunting raccoon, at night. My biggest fear, if you could call it that, was surprising a skunk at close range. I’ve been startled at night by bedded deer that launched at close range and went crashing off, and by ground-roosting grouse that flushed so close I felt the wind created by their rapid wing beats. Other than that, my times spent in the woods have been very docile.
But there are still people who have an unnatural fear of wild animals, especially those sporting sharp teeth. We don’t have many lions and tigers, but we do have black bears, and encountering one can be exciting to say the least, and for some, frightening to say the most. The same can be said of encountering an large adult coyote, which will appear very similar to a grey wolf. But aside from obviously sick specimens, that should always be avoided, just how dangerous are these two animals?
There have been a small number of coyote attacks on people in the U.S. and Canada, with most of the attacks involving small children under 5 years of age. Since 3 million children are bitten by dogs every year, your small child is millions of times more likely to get hurt by the family pet than by a coyote. The best estimates assert that, in recorded history, there have been 20 to 30 coyote attacks on humans in the U. S. that resulted in injuries, and they were primarily minor injuries.
Coyotes normally avoid contact with humans and hunt rabbits and rodents. But scientists said some that live near suburban developments are becoming bolder, raiding garbage or even attacking pets and humans. An increase in coyote attacks on humans in the past decade is most evident in Southern California, where bedroom communities have quickly pressed into wilderness, allowing the canine hunter-scavengers to roam backyards for food which can include free-roaming small pets.
DEC wildlife biologist Gordon Batcheller studies coyotes in New York State. Batcheller says coyotes are "becoming habituated to humans and human environments, and adapting their behavior to ours. From the coyotes' perspective, this human environment "is a 'subsidized environment,' meaning it provides an artificially high amount of foods with an unnatural absence of threats," Batcheller said. "These adaptable animals take quick advantage of these unnatural environments." DEC officials estimate that 20,000 to 30,000 coyotes presently live in the state. Paul Curtis, a Cornell wildlife biologist, adds, "Hearing coyotes howling in the woods at night is a wonderful thing. And that's where we want to keep them—in the woods, away from people."
By their sheer size, black bears appear formidable, but they are seldom a threat. In fact, statistics indicate that a person is 247 times more likely to be killed by lightning and 60,000 times more likely to be murdered by another human being than killed by a black bear. Much like coyotes, black bears are opportunistic and are always on the lookout for free, easily accessible food. They are the classic moochers of nature, which often lures them in close proximity to us and our available foodstuffs, including our garbage and bird feeders.
Bears can look like they are stalking when they are actually approaching out of simple curiosity or looking for a food source their sharp sense of smell has detected. Will a bear attack because it senses you are afraid? No. Most people who find themselves near a black bear ARE afraid, and they are not attacked. Black bears are not territorial toward people like some dogs are. Black bears, for all their size and strength are mostly afraid THEY will be attacked. If a person doesn't want a black bear to come closer, acting aggressively will run them off.
Black bears that come into campgrounds are looking for food, not people, and can easily be chased away in most cases. No matter how bold and confident bears seem, they still recognize aggressive behavior and run away when someone yells and runs toward them. Remember, if you encounter a bear unexpectedly, if it doesn’t run, shouting and waving your arms will send it packing
Old folklore and exaggerated and sensationalized media coverage of wild animal attacks, despite such attacks being extremely rare, do an injustice to many species of wildlife that want nothing more than to avoid humans when they’re lurking in those dark woodland shadows. Just don’t underestimate those skunks.

DEC License Sales Down, Revenue Up
For the license year 2009-2010. there has been110,304 less licenses sold than the previous year. However, gross sales increased about $22M. Why? As expected, there was a huge run on Lifetime licenses before the higher fees went into effect on Oct. 1. For 2008/2009 there were 2,402 Lifetime licenses sold that totaled $615K. In the
2009/2010 span Lifetime license purchases were 83,089 that brought in $19.4M. This represents an increase of about 80,000 purchases and an $18.785M increase in Lifetime license income. Keep in mind though that by their very nature, funds received from Lifetime licenses are primarily a one-shot deal, meaning many of those that bought one will not be spending another dollar for a license in the years to come.